A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes
by ScalePhoenix14825
Summary: If Stiles said he hated his life, it would be a complete lie. He loathed his life. He wanted nothing more than to go back in time and warn his dad, beg him not to go in to work that day. But here he was, cooking and cleaning like he was some kind of slave. (Cinderella!AU)


**A/N: Please note that characters may be a bit OOC.**

 **A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes**

 **Third Person POV**

If Stiles said he hated his life, it would be a complete lie. He loathed his life. He wanted nothing more than to go back in time and warn his dad, beg him not to go in to work that day. But here he was, cooking and cleaning like he was some kind of slave. The only relief he got was when everything was finished and he could escape to his 'room' or Scott's if there was enough time left in the day. Today, however, he wouldn't be getting much rest. Kate had guests coming over and expected everything to be ten times cleaner than usual.

"And make sure it's done by the time I get back." she warned before grabbing her keys off the counter and sauntering out the front door. Stiles hated it when she said that. How was he supposed to know how much time he had to do everything if she didn't tell him how long she'd be gone. Sighing to himself, he grabbed the cleaning supplies he'd need and started on his daily work.

The days when the house was completely empty were his favorite days. Kate was out doing god knew what, Jackson was at his girlfriend's house, and Matt was out with his friends. That meant no interruptions and no one could hear him muttering to himself. By the time he was done scrubbing the kitchen floors, only an hour had passed and his knees were killing him. Putting the scrub brush back into the bucket and letting it sink to the bottom, he stood and wiped his hands on his already soaked jeans. Despite being forced to do it, he was rather proud of the work in front of him.

Now all he had to do was finish the rest of his chores and make sure it stayed clean.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

By the time he was done, the floors sparkled, the marble counter tops gleamed, the windows shined, and there wasn't a speck of dust to be found. He knew most of it would have to be done again once the boys got back. They'd more than likely track dirt and mud in and he'd be back on his knees scrubbing again so that things looked good for Kate's guests.

At around six, Kate came back and stormed into the kitchen, ready to yell about how dinner had better be ready 'or so help her', but Stiles was on his game tonight. Dinner was done and displayed and Stiles was out of the way before she could find something else to yell at him about. He guessed she took joy out of making his life miserable, but he figured if he did what the werejaguar told him, he'd still have a roof over his head.

Legally, Kate couldn't throw him out, at least not until he turned eighteen, but that didn't stop her from threatening it. And if Stiles were a betting man, he'd bet she'd go through with it and the law wouldn't bat an eyelash in his direction. With the human community so small nowadays, the law was mote concerned with keeping the peace between other races than making sure humans were taken care of properly.

So, Stiles kept his mouth shut and suffered in silence along with the rest of the human community. It wasn't that he had anything against the weres, his best friend was a bitten werewolf, but that didn't make him resent them. A werewolf had killed his father and a werejaguar, a werelizard, and a...well, he still wasn't sure what Matt was, were making his life miserable. But he tried to keep an open mind. Not all weres could be that bad.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Stiles fell onto his mattress exhausted. He felt like he could sleep for days. But he knew he couldn't. He had promised he'd Skype with Scott since he couldn't come over. Pulling out the old, rickety, hand-me-down laptop he'd been given for school, he opened the program and waited.

" _Hey! I didn't expect you to be on so early!_ " Scott exclaimed over the screen, his face bright.

"Yeah, well, I got done a little earlier than expected." he chuckled nervously, some tension leaving his shoulders after seeing his best friend's puppy-like face. Stiles couldn't put words to how much better he felt whenever he saw Scott. It brought back a little bit of familiarity. They been best friends long before his father had been killed and even before his mom had died.

" _Well, that's good._ " the wolf said, avoiding Stiles' gaze. It was a rule of thumb between them that they didn't talk about how Kate treated the human. Not after the first and only time Stiles had completely broken down and bawled on the other teens shoulder. Since then, he'd learned to control his emotions. " _Oh, hey! Did you hear about the formal Alpha Hale's throwing this weekend! Lydia says it's going to be the event of the year._ " Scott shouted, causing the other teen to jump a little.

"No, but it sounds like something they'd do though."

" _You know, since I'm technically a member of their pack, I get to bring a guest. I was gonna ask Allison, but I think she's still mad at me about last weekend. Plus, I'm still afraid that her dad's gonna gut me one of these days. But, anyway, you wanna be my plus one?_ "

"Why don't ask your mom?"

" _She has to work._ "

"So, you're saying I'm your last hope before you end up going stag?" Stiles joked, laughing when Scott blushed a little.

" _Come on, man! You know I didn't mean it like that!_ " Scott tried to defend, only causing Stiles to laugh harder.

"I'm screwing with you, Scott! Calm down!" the human laughed. "I'm gonna yes, but I've gotta make sure the witch says I can. I'll keep you updated."

" _Okay. I gotta go. I told my mom I'd take her lunch on her break. Good luck._ " Scott said, sounding like he didn't want to leave the other teen alone more than he had to.

"Tell her I said hi. And thanks." Stiles said, the last part a little more sarcastically than he meant, waving goodbye before logging off. Shutting the laptop, he slid it carefully into it's spot under his nightstand slash cardboard box. Going to the formal wasn't exactly his idea of fun, but if it meant getting out of that dreadful house for a couple hours, he'd gladly go. Glancing at the clock, he knew it was too late to go back upstairs and ask, so he set into his night routine.

Making his way through the maze of boxes in the basement, he made it to the half-bath. Closing the door behind him, he started cleaning himself. He wasn't allowed to use the bathrooms upstairs, so he had to make do with the old bathtub that had been thrown down there and the sink in the bathroom. On one of the rare occasions that he didn't have much work, he'd managed to move the old tub into the small bathroom so he had a reasonable bathing area. The only hard part was having to use a bucket to fill the bathtub.

After he'd filled the tub to a decent amount, he stripped out of the old, worn clothes he usually wore while cleaning and slipped into the tub. He cleaned himself quickly, using the new shampoo Melissa had gotten for him a couple of days before.

Once he was done, he pulled himself out, dried off, put on an old pair of sweats and a t-shirt, and drained the tub. It was amazing how cleaning himself had washed away the stress of the day. Before he left the bathroom, he made sure everything was back to the way it was before he'd come in. He shut the light off and shut the door behind himself. He knew it was kind of ridiculous to try and keep this mess somewhat clean, but it was what he had to call home.

The mattress he slept on wasn't that bad. It had belonged to one of the boys before they'd gotten new ones. It was still in good shape and was comfortable and Stiles was grateful that it wasn't like the one he'd had when he first got here. That one's springs had started coming out and stabbed him in the hip in the middle of the night.

Laying down, he shut off the small lamp and pulled the worn comforter around himself to fight off the cold breeze the basement always seemed to have despite what time of year it was.

As he fell asleep, all he could think was that at least things could a hell of a lot worse.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

As soon as Stiles alarm went off, he was tempted to smash the snooze button, but he knew he needed to get up and get breakfast ready before the others got up. Quickly putting on some clothes, he went up stairs and poured himself a bowl of cereal, eating it quickly so he could get to work on cooking. He had a plan and hoped and prayed it went the way he wanted. Maybe if he got Kate into a good mood, she wouldn't laugh in face when he asked her about this weekend.

With plates of french toast, pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, and bacon balanced in his hands, he entered the dining room. The three weres ignored him as he put the plates down on the table and began digging in as soon as the glass made contact with the wood. Deciding to wait until they were done eating, he went back into the kitchen and began cleaning the mess that breakfast always brought.

Once he heard the clattering of glasses and plates stop, he went back into the dining room and started to clear away the mess. "That was quite exceptional, boy. Keep this up and I just might need to think about getting you a new pair of sneakers." Kate sneered as he picked up the plate that was in front of her.

"Actually," Stiles began, wincing when her eyes hardened. He knew she hadn't been expecting him to answer, but now was a better time than any. "I was wondering if I could go out for a few hours on Saturday." he asked, forcing his voice to stay steady. He wasn't going to lie and say he wasn't afraid. He was terrified. He'd seen the werejaguar's wrath first hand and he didn't want to have to clean claw marks again. Those always hurt more than regular cuts.

"And where could you possibly want to go?" she asked tightly, a stiff smile on her lips.

"Well, Scott wanted me to go to the Hale Formal with him since his girlfriend can't." he answered, keeping his eyes down and avoiding eye contact at all costs. If she said no, he could always sneak out, but he knew if he got caught, he'd be locked in the basement until he turned eighteen and she could legally throw him out.

There was a long pause while Kate picked at her nails, a bored look on her face. "Well," she sighed, but Stiles knew it was fake. A show for her own amusement. "I suppose if you finish all your chores on time and you behave the rest of the week...you can go. But if I find one speck of dust on Saturday, you can forget it." she said, her eyes flashing with a warning that nearly caused him to drop the plate he was holding.

He quickly nodded and thanked her before taking the rest of the dishes. "Are you really going to let him go?" he heard Matt ask just as the door swung shut behind him. He stopped, curiosity getting the better of him, and moved a little closer towards the door so he could hear what they were saying.

"I don't see why I shouldn't. I mean, a little human isn't going to change the plan." he heard Kate croon. He wanted nothing more than to ask what she meant, but knew he'd get into trouble for eavesdropping. So, he pushed down his curiosity and started on the dishes. He couldn't wait to tell Scott that he could go. It would be nice to hang out like they used to.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday went by without incident and Stiles thought that maybe someone was finally on his side. But fate, of course, obviously had a cruel sense of humor. Stiles woke up on Saturday morning, thinking things would be fine. Thinking that he'd get his chores done quickly and head over to Scott's. But walking into the kitchen, his heart sank. Every dish and piece of silver wear was either in the sink and dirty or shattered on the floor.

He knew exactly what had happened. Any chance of him being happy, the boys were the first to try and ruin it. And Stiles was afraid that they succeeded. It was like when Stiles had wanted to go to Scott's tenth birthday party. The boys had shredded the wallpaper in the sitting room and Stiles had had to replace it before Kate got home. It had ended up taking him more than half the day and he'd missed Scott's birthday.

Pushing away the tightness in his throat, he pulled out his flip phone and sent his best friend a hurried text saying that he had to cancel before starting to clean the mess. As he started cleaning up the broken glass, he grimly noticed the dried mud on the tiles and in their crevices. The mud on the tiles would be easy enough to get rid of, but he'd need to use a toothbrush to get the stuff in the cracks.

Sighing to himself, he went under the sink and pulled out the bucket and bleach.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Halfway through the muck on the kitchen floor, Stiles heard the doorbell ring. Muttering to himself, he stood and wiped his hands on his jeans so he didn't get the doorknob dirty. When he opened the door, ready to greet the person on the other side, he nearly yelped in surprise when the person on the other side of the door looked like he was ready to strangle the human. "What the hell, man! You can't just cancel on me! I can't go to this thing alone!" Scott yelled, his arms flailing in a way that reminded Stiles of himself.

"Hey, it's not my fault that something came up!" Stiles defended, crossing his arms over his chest. He was a little ticked off, but he knew the wolf hadn't thought before speaking.

As if he could read his best friend's mind, Scott's eyes widened and his head dropped to his chest. "Sorry. I-I didn't mean to go off like that-" he began, but the older of the two stopped him.

"Look, I'm sorry, but I need to get this cleaned up before the witch comes home." Stiles said sadly. He really did want to go, but he was more afraid of what Kate would do to him if he just left it for later.

"Hey! I can help you! It'll get done quicker and you can still go!" Scott practically yelled again, causing the human to wince a little. He gave the wolf a skeptical look before nodding. He hated to admit it, but Scott was right. If they worked together, it would get faster. Stiles lead the other teen into the kitchen and Scott looked like he'd seen a ghost. "Wow. What kind of tornado went through here?"

"The one called Jackson and Matt." Stiles answered as if just saying the names left him with a bad taste in his mouth.

"Well," the wolf said, sounding much more enthusiastic than the human liked. "we better get started. We've got exactly six hours before the formal officially starts."

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Stiles had never thought work could go by so much quicker with two people. He had guiltily thought Scott would slow him down, but he was pleasantly wrong. In only three hours, Scott had washed all the dishes and put them away and Stiles had gotten all of the mud out of every nook and cranny. After Stiles did a quick once over the house to make sure nothing else was ruined, he gave Scott a bright smile. "All good!"

Scott whooped and dragged the human out of the house and to his mom's car. "My mom had a surprise for you when we get there." Scott said as he backed out of the driveway and started down the street. Stiles gave him a questioning look, but the wolf only shook his head with a smile. "I promised I wouldn't say what it was, but that you'd love it."

Scott didn't live very far from Stiles, but it was always difficult to see each other because of Stiles'...living conditions. As soon as Scott pulled into his driveway, Stiles felt the rest of the tension melt away from his body. Scott's house had always felt more like home than any other. Stiles had always walked into the place like he'd been living there for the past ten years instead of that hell on Earth.

Melissa was sitting at the kitchen table when the two teens walked in and smiled softly at Stiles before getting up and pulling him into a hug.

When she had found out how Stiles had been living, she had been livid, insisting that Stiles come and stay with them. What she didn't know, though, was that she could get into a lot of trouble by keeping him away from his legal alpha. And if Stiles knew Kate, despite not wanting him, she would've fought to have charges taken on the nurse because she wasn't getting her way.

"Well, you boys need to start getting ready. Scott, your suit's already laid out for you. And you," she said, taking Stiles' shoulder. "come with me." Stiles didn't have much of a choice because she was leading him to the guest room down the hall.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Derek wasn't sure which he hated more. Waiting for this ridiculous formal to begin or the fact that his mother insisted on throwing it. He didn't see why he couldn't find a mate on his own like everyone else instead of being forced to meet Beacon Hills' 'eligible bachelors and bachelorettes' as his sisters called them.

Just because Laura had declined the title of next alpha and it had fallen to him didn't mean he needed to find his mate right now. But his mother insisted that their pack would view it as him taking on the responsibility of a mate and making a step towards him being ready to take over for his mother when the time came.

Derek wanted nothing more than to fall in love, to find his mate. He just didn't think this was the right approach. Which lead to him sulking in the library until his youngest sister came looking for him. "I don't know why you don't just admit that you're nervous about finding that special someone." Cora said, throwing herself into the seat next to him. Her hair was already ready for the night, but she was still in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

"Says the one who's got all the time in the world to find her mate." he grumbled, refusing to look up from his book.

"Come on, Der! Why not just think of it as speeding up the 'finding' part? I don't think mom expects you to consummate a relationship tonight. I mean, good on you if you do, but still..." she commented, rolling her eyes when all the older wolf did was growl and flash his eyes at her.

Closing his book with a snap, he stood and headed towards the door. "I'm going to get ready. And you need to stop spending so much time with Uncle Peter." he called back, letting the door slam shut behind him and missing his sisters laughter. All he had to do was put his suit on, but he didn't want to be around anyone right that moment.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Stiles couldn't believe it. He was speechless. He hadn't had brand new clothes in over ten years and he couldn't help but think it was a shame he'd only be able to wear it once. He'd never been one for formal clothing, but the tux Melissa had laid out on the guest bed was just...perfect. He wasn't even going to ask how much it had cost because he knew if she were to tell him, he'd probably throw a fit that she shouldn't be spending so much on him.

Deciding it would be a better idea to shower and get rid of any left over gunk, he used the downstairs bathroom quickly and headed back into the guest room. It took him a little time to get it on completely, deciding to go slowly so he didn't rip or tear anything. He couldn't help but notice that the shirt was silk and that the jacket was wool instead of polyester. He knew Melissa had to have paid a price for this suit and he'd need to keep it here so nothing happened to it.

The only part he couldn't get was the bow tie. It was silk like the shirt, but instead of regular black, it was red. Like most of these things, there was usually a reoccurring theme color and Stiles had a pretty wild guess that the color was red. Then again, the universe liked screwing him over in the end.

"Why aren't you wearing red?" Stiles asked when he came out of the guest room holding the red bow tie while Melissa helped Scott with his.

"Because only unmated or single guests have to wear red. Since I'm dating Allison, I don't have to wear red." the stockier teen said like everyone knew. Then again, maybe everyone did. Stiles didn't watch the news and didn't read the news paper very often. He was usually too busy.

"I knew there was a catch to this whole thing." he grumbled to himself and let Melissa help him with the bow while Scott looked away sheepishly. It sort of made Stiles wonder which one of them was supposed to be the human and who was supposed to be the big scary monster.

Once Melissa was finished looking over the both of them and after insisting on taking at least one picture, the two of them were out the door with just enough time to get there.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Derek was so nervous now that he was actually shaking. His mother seemed to notice and placed a hand on her son's shoulder. "You need to calm down. You're not going to find your mate if you keep overthinking." she whispered to him softly so no one else could hear her but him. He hated admitting it, but he knew she was right. She was always right. So, he forced himself to calm down some, at least enough to stop shaking, and tried to pay attention, glancing whenever he saw a flash of red.

Half an hour had already past and he was ready to call the whole thing off and go sulk in his room. He'd already been bombarded by three woman who were more than likely the same age as his mother, one man who reminded him way too much of his uncle, and one particular woman who just wouldn't leave his side once they'd been introduced.

"You know, I've always loved events like this. They just make me feel so alive." she said, her voice chipper, but in a forced manner that made him cringe away from her. He did notice that she had a habit of not keeping her hands to herself as well, running them up his arms and then commenting on how he should let her join him the next time he decided to work out.

He was hoping his mother or one of his sisters would bail him out soon, but something caught his eye and he caught a whiff of a scent that had him pulling his arm from the blonde's grip and following it. He could hear the woman yelling for him to come back, but every fiber of his being had him searching for that scent again.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Stiles immediately regretted his decision to come with Scott. This was not his thing. This was not something he was comfortable with. He'd just been blinded by the possibility of getting out of the house that he hadn't thought about how much he truly hated these things. And, despite his feelings towards the girl, he hated when Allison pulled away from Lydia and came up to them with a bright smile on her face.

"Can you believe it! This whole thing feels like a fairy tale!" she practically bounced. Stiles really did love Allison, but he knew that as soon as Allison had shown up, he'd lost his best friend. Not that he blamed Scott, he just wished the wolf was a little less single minded when it came to the people he was interacting with. The boy couldn't multitask to save his life.

Soon enough, the two had left him alone in favor of dancing. Allison, being the lady that she is, had asked Stiles if it was alright, which he obviously said yes to, but he still felt bad about being left alone. So, he did what anyone else in his position would do. He decided to explore the vast room the formal was being held in.

He'd never been in the Hale house before, but he'd seen it hundreds of times when he was a kid. He could remember imagining what it looked like on the inside and if it was just as beautiful as the outside. He was caught up in his own thoughts that he jumped and nearly fell over when someone tapped him on the shoulder. Luckily, said person had caught his arm before he could make contact with the marble floor.

Once he was upright once more, he was about to turn and ask why someone would sneak up on him like that, but the words died in his throat. Out of everyone that could've wanted to talk to him, he least expected Derek Hale. Hell, he expected Alpha Hale before her son.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." the alpha-to-be said, concern in his voice and on his face, the face that Stiles had only ever seen with a frown etched into his beautiful features. Stiles wasn't sure how he was supposed to act. Was he supposed to be angry that he'd almost fallen flat on his face or was he supposed to be grateful that he'd been saved from humiliation? Stiles wasn't sure how long he stood there with his mouth wide open, but the wolf didn't seem to be in any hurry, which surprised Stiles even more.

"Um, thank you. For not letting me have a personal introduction with the floor, I mean." he finally said, finally finding his voice, but cringing at his choice of words. It had been so long since he'd had normal interaction with people, aside from Scott and Melissa, that he apparently didn't know how to interact at all. "I'm Stiles, by the way." he greeted, remembering that it was rude not introduce yourself.

"Would you like to dance, Stiles?" Derek asked almost as soon as the human's introduction had left his mouth, causing said human to look at him with wide eyes. Did he just ask what he thought he had? He didn't even notice the look of pure hope in the wolf's eyes.

"I-I...You...What?!" Stiles yelped, causing the wolf to cringe and a look of rejection cross his face.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to be so blunt. I understand." he said, pulling his hand away from the teens elbow, neither of them realizing that he had been holding it the entire time. Just as he was about to turn and leave, the teen caught hold of the wolf's wrist and pulled him back.

"Th-that wasn't a 'no'. I just don't get why you'd want to dance with someone like me when there're plenty of other, less clumsy partners. I'm more likely to trip over _both_ of our feet." Stiles blushed, immediately releasing the other's wrist.

"None of the other's smell as good as you do." Derek grinned.

Stiles didn't know whether he should laugh or cry. He knew what that meant. Everyone knew what that meant. It was all he heard about when his best friend met his mate. All the other teen could talk about was how wonderful Allison smelt. At the time, Stiles had only rolled his eyes and said he was happy for the two, but now, now he was confused. How could this stubbled Greek God be bound to him? There was no way! The universe was screwing with him again.

"Look, if this is your idea of some kind of sick joke-" Stiles began, pointing an accusing finger into the wolf's chest, which, in hindsight hadn't been one of his best moves, but he was still alive, so that had to count for something.

Derek caught the human's wrist and held it. "This isn't a joke. I'm being serious." he said, a little ticked that the boy hadn't believed him in the first place. He was glad, however, that no one seemed to be paying attention to them. "Look," he sighed, rubbing his thumb absently over the human's pulse. "I know we don't know each other at all and it _is_ sudden, but all I know is that just being near you makes me happier than I've felt in a long time. I'm not asking for your hand in marriage or anything, not yet at least, but I do want us to get to know each other. This isn't a death sentence."

Stiles was silent for what felt like a lifetime, looking into the wolf's eyes, searching for something he couldn't quite put a word to, but he must have found it because he nodded. "I guess being your mate wouldn't be a death sentence." he said and Derek caught the teasing in his voice, causing both of them to smile. "So, how does this work?" he asked and it was Derek's turn to blush. He hadn't thought that far ahead.

"Well, we could start with that dance." Derek suggested, offering his arm to the boy like his mother had taught him when he was small.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Stiles had never been very good at dancing, but it made things better when your partner could probably lift your entire body weight with two fingers. He actually _liked_ dancing with Derek. Maybe it was the way Derek held him like he was afraid he'd lose him if he let him go or maybe it was the way Derek looked at him like he was the most important person in the room. Or maybe it was just both.

Stiles only agreed to one dance, though, not trusting himself or his feet. He was sure Derek had kept him from going down at least twice, but he was thankful the wolf didn't say anything. When Stiles declined a second dance, the wolf suggested they head out to the gardens where it was quieter and they could actually get to know each other without prying eyes.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Derek had already caught his mother shooting him an amused look and he grumbled a bit before placing his hand on the human's waist and leading him to his aunt's pride and joy. When he was younger, Derek had loved playing in the gardens. It was the best place to play hide-and-seek because the flowers made it hard to pick up on just one scent.

Derek lead Stiles to a secluded bench behind several rose bushes where he liked to go sometimes in the middle of the night and look up at the moon and stars. It was one of his favorite places aside from his bedroom and the library.

As they sat, Stiles went on and on, talking about anything and everything, barely breaking for breath. Derek could tell it was a nervous tick, but listened intently, nonetheless. The wolf had never been a man of many words, but he couldn't help but fondly think that Stiles would be able to do enough talking for the both of them. When Derek did start talking, though, Stiles kept quiet, listening to him speak just as intently as Derek had, like he was holding onto every word that came out of the wolf's mouth.

Derek wasn't sure how long they'd sat in the gardens, but the moon was high in the sky and the night had gotten cooler. Stiles glanced at his watch and shot up from the bench panicked. "Oh, crap! I have to go! It's way past curfew!" he exclaimed and Derek took notice of the spark of fear in his scent.

"Don't worry. I can escort you home." Derek said, placing a hand on the teens arm in what he hopped was a comforting manner.

"N-no. It's fine." Stiles said, bringing up a hand to absently bite at his nails out of nervousness. Derek wasn't happy with that answer. There was no way he'd let his mate walk home alone this late at night.

"Then let me get someone to give you a ride home. Please." he insisted, letting his thumb rub soothing circles into the boys bicep. Stiles let his hand drop back to his side and sighed before nodding. Derek smiled warmly at him before removing his hand and offering the teen his arm to take. Stiles hesitantly took the offered appendage and allowed himself to be lead back into the ball room where the festivities were beginning to wined down.

It wasn't hard to find the were he was looking for, motioning for the dark skinned wolf to come join them. "Boyd, this is Stiles. He needs a ride home." Derek said and the beta nodded in understanding before heading towards the entrance. Derek looked around the room, people were staring now that the guest of honor had finally returned. He caught his mothers eye across the room and blushed at the pleased, albeit smug, look on her face before pulling Stiles away from the crowds once more.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Stiles silently followed, letting his eyes roam the wolf's features for what felt like the hundredth time that night, thinking to himself once again that it was impossible that this god-like creature in front of him only had eyes for him. He wasn't blind. He'd seen the guests at the party. Most of them far more attractive than him. Plus, it didn't help that he was human. There was no way that would go over well in the community. Weres and humans didn't mate together. It just wasn't common or looked kindly upon.

Stiles was pulled from his thoughts when said wolf stopped abruptly in front of him, colliding into him with a soft 'oof'. Dragging his gaze from the stone floors, he looked up at Derek with questioning eyes. Derek only smiled softly at him before bringing one of his hands up to cup the younger man's jaw, his eyes flickering to his lips and back up. "It feels like a lifetime ago that I was dreading tonight." Derek murmured, like he didn't want to ruin the trance they seemed to have fallen in. "But now...now I can't remember a better night of my life."

Stiles breath caught in his throat. How the hell was he supposed to reply to that. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before huffing in annoyance. This was completely uncharted territory for him. He'd never been romantically involved with anyone. He'd had a crush on Lydia until her and Jackson got together. The werelizard had then proceeded to flaunt their relationship, knowing it stabbed the human in the heart each time.

Stiles shook his head and tore his eyes away from the wolf's, opting to stare at the floor as he spoke. "I'm sorry, Derek. I...This is a mistake. I...I have to go." he muttered, his eyes stinging as he pulled his arm from the wolf's grip. Before he could give in to himself, he turned and fled.

He didn't dare look back. He knew the look that would be on Derek's face. It would be a look of a man with a broken heart. It would be the look his father had when Claudia told his father she only had a few months left to live. He knew that if he looked back, he'd give in and go back, but that wasn't an option.

He couldn't ruin Derek's life like that.

Derek was going to take over one of the west's biggest and most respected packs. Him mating with a human wouldn't go over well. The Hale pack would lose face and Stiles didn't want to be the cause of that. But he also couldn't tell Derek that. After only knowing him for a few hours, he knew the wolf would try and resign his position.

So, he found his way out of there before anything else fell apart.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Derek didn't know how long he stood there, his eyes froze in the direction his mate took off in. He couldn't bring himself to move. How could he? His mate thought all this was a mistake. That _they_ were a mistake. He felt like his heart had been ripped out of his chest and was trying to chase after the boy who'd run from him.

He didn't move when he felt his mother's warm, comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry, pup." she whispered, squeezing his shoulder. Derek couldn't look her in the eyes though, knowing he'd only see pity. There was a long pause before Talia extended a hand to her son, a bright red bow tie in her palm. Derek recognized it immediately. Stiles had taken it off while they were in the gardens, laughing that he wasn't ready to die from strangulation yet.

Derek carefully reached out and took the soft fabric, reminiscing in the warmth it still held. And it still smelled like his mate. He clutched the bow tie to his chest and turned away from his mother before dragging himself to his room to suffer in silence.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Two weeks had passed and Derek didn't leave his room willingly. For the first week, Talia had food sent up to his room. The next week, though, she insisted that he needed to leave the comfort of his den at some point. Erica knocked on his door every now and then to make sure he was okay, shaking her head to Isaac when there was no answer.

By the time the third week rolled around, Boyd was fed up with Derek's moping. He didn't even bother knocking before barging into the darkened room, pulling one of the curtains open in his wake. Derek growled from his nest of blankets on the bed, his eyes flashing defensively at the intrusion of his den. The dark skinned wolf didn't comment on the flash of red being clutched in the others hand, deciding instead to cross his arms over his chest and glare at the closet thing he had to a best friend.

"You need to get up and do something. You can't keep wallowing in self pity." he said, more authority in his voice than he would normally use with his future alpha.

"Easy for you to say, you have your mate." Derek practically whined, burying himself further into his makeshift nest.

"Then go after him! Jesus, the poor boy looked like he was ready to start bawling when I dropped him off! He reeked of misery!" Boyd snapped, his own eyes flashing in annoyance.

The room was completely silent until a knock at the door demanded their attention. Erica popped her head in, giving them both a soft smile before walking into the room, Isaac not far behind her. "Boyd's right, Der. The boy looked absolutely miserable when he left." Erica said in an oddly soothing tone.

"I can't just go after him! I don't want to scare him!" Derek bellowed, pulling himself from the bed, his clothes rumpled beyond repair. He knew he looked terrible. He only showered when he absolutely needed to, a comb hadn't seen his hair in over a week, and he hadn't shaved since the night of the formal.

The room was silent again while the brunette paced the room. His inner wolf agreed with the other betas, it wanted to track Stiles' scent, bring the boy back to his den and wrap himself his mate. He couldn't do that though. Wouldn't do that.

"Did you ever stop to think that maybe it's not you he's afraid of, but what people will say? I mean, he _is_ human. It's not exactly common for weres and humans to be so...close." Isaac offered, breaking the silence and shrinking back slightly when the older wolf shot him an unreadable look. "Maybe he's afraid that he'd be ruining your future." he added when Derek kept staring at him.

"Okay, you need to talk to your boy! This is getting ridiculous!" Erica shrieked, causing the other three to flinch. "You!" she said, pointing a threatening finger at Derek. "Get in the bathroom and clean yourself up. And you two," she pointed at the other two wolves. "get out." she said, shooing them out of the room before closing the door behind their grumbling forms.

She shot a glare at Derek when he hadn't moved yet and it kicked him into gear, going into the bathroom. A couple minutes later, she heard the shower start and she smiled smugly to herself. Walking over to his closet, she opened the door and walked in, trying to decide what Derek would look best in.

Deciding on a simple dark green button down and a pair of his tightest fitting jeans, she laid them out on his bed. She quickly scrawled a note threatening him to get dressed and go talk to Stiles or else she'd drag him there by the ear. Pleased with her work, she left Derek's room and grinned at the wolf leaning on the wall opposite the door.

"I hope things work out. I hate seeing him like this." Boyd said, frowning slightly. Erica's smile softened as she walked over to the dark skinned wolf and placed her hands lovingly on his cheeks.

"Sometimes I think you care too much." she whispered, leaning up to place a chaste kiss to his lips before taking one of his hands and half-heartedly dragged him down the hall.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Derek came back into his room, looking around for Erica, a little relieved when he didn't see her. He hated to admit it, but when she got into her moods, she terrified him. Sighing to himself, he walked over to where his laid out clothes were and picked up the note laying on top. He only skimmed the note, his mind still a million miles away. If Isaac was right, then Stiles didn't hate him. It only made him feel a little better though. There was still that chance that Isaac was wrong.

Shaking his head to clear his mind, Derek crumpled the piece of paper and threw it into the wire basket under his nightstand. He quickly got dressed, having to redo the buttons on his shirt twice because his hands wouldn't stop shaking.

Once he was dressed, he sat at the edge of his bed and let his head fall into his hands. After several deep breaths, he stood and steeled himself. He needed to be ready for complete heartbreak. As he went to grab his leather jacket, Stiles' bow tie caught his eye. It was still buried in his blankets. He picked it up like it was the most precious thing in existence and let his fingers run over the silk. Even after three weeks, it still smelt like Stiles.

He quickly shoved it in his pocket and grabbed his jacket.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

It had been three weeks. Three long, excruciatingly long weeks and Stiles never felt more miserable in his life. This wasn't when his parents died. He couldn't have stopped that no matter how much he wished he could have, but not being with Derek was all up to him. He didn't care that he'd only known the wolf for a few hours, but in that time, Derek had actually listened when Stiles spoke. Had cared. It had been a long time since someone other that Scott and Melissa cared about him.

So, he threw himself into the housework. He didn't know why, but Kate was even worse than normal. She was even more verbally and physically abusive than before. He was currently applying peroxide to the cut on his forearm.

Stiles wasn't sure what he did, but whatever it was set the werejaguar off and she'd smacked him. He lost balance and fell into curio cabinet before hitting the floor. That seemed to piss Kate off even more and stormed off, threatening that the glass and blood better be cleaned up before she got back. He'd gotten all the shards and scrubbed the carpet till his hands were raw. Blood was his least favorite thing to try and get out of fabrics.

The cut hurt like a bitch, but he knew it needed to be cleaned and bandaged. Luckily, Kate had gotten home just as he was slinking back into the basement, glad that he'd gotten his chores done early enough that he'd be able to hide out until he needed to start dinner.

He heard the doorbell ring, but didn't pay much attention to it. He assumed it was probably one of Kate's various booty calls.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Derek took a deep breath, not letting it go as he rang the doorbell. He felt his heart sink when a familiar woman answered the door, the scowl on her face melting into a pleased, yet frightening smirk. "Why, Derek," she purred, draping herself across the doorway in what he thought was supposed to be a seductive manner. "I knew you'd come around eventually."

Derek cleared his throat and tried to keep the pained look of his face. "Miss. Argent. What a...pleasant surprise." he ground out, not wanting to be rude. His mother would have his hide if she found out.

When Stiles had said he lived with a foster parent, he never would've thought it was were who couldn't keep her hands off of his the night of the formal. "Surprise?" Kate questioned, the smirk slowly fading from her face. "And here I thought you were here to see little old me." she said, but he picked up on the underlining bitterness.

"Actually, I came to speak with Stiles." he said a little more harshly than he meant to, but he was starting to lose his nerve. And Kate's presence wasn't helping anything.

The smirk left her face completely, her previous scowl returning in full force. "W-well," she began harshly. "I'm sorry to tell you that there's no one by that name here." she lied, Derek picking up on the subtle skip of her heart. If she hadn't been so flustered, she might've been able to control it. But before Derek could call her out on it, she'd slammed the door shut and was marching away from it.

Derek stood there for a moment, letting rejection settle. He turned to leave, never to look back, when a shriek of pain invaded his ears.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Stiles jumped when the basement door slammed open and Kate's heels echoed menacingly on the wooden stairs. He felt the need to cower when he could finally see her and she was flashing her eyes at him. From past experiences, that never ended well for him. "You!" she snarled, barring her razor sharp fangs. "You just had to ruin everything didn't you!" she went on, grabbing hold of his arm and dragging him into somewhat of a standing position.

Stiles couldn't help his cry of pain as her claws dug painfully in his arm. That only angered her more, causing her to grip him even tighter, he could swear he could hear bone cracking, and drag him so they were face to face. "I should've eaten you like the runt of the litter you are when you got here! You've been nothing but a thorn in my side, you pathetic little _human_!" she roared, making human sound like it was an insult. And to her, it was.

"Better late than never, I guess." she laughed, bringing her other hand up like she was going to hit him like she'd done so many times in the past, only this time, she didn't bother retracting her claws. It was a strike that would leave him bleeding out on the basement floor.

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to ready himself in any way he could for the blow, but it never came. He heard an animalistic roar that didn't belong to the werejaguar and the hand that had been keeping him upright was suddenly gone, causing him to drop to the floor. He opened his eyes and then shut them again, not believing the sight he was seeing. Thinking that maybe Kate had finally gotten ride of him and this was just his mind's last chance of giving him some peace before he died.

The room was filled with a menacing growl and frightened whimpers that, oddly enough, weren't coming from the only human in the room. Braving to open his eyes again, Stiles took in the scene in front of him. Derek had Kate by the throat, his claws digging in enough that it was drawing blood, and had her pinned to the brick wall, his eyes blood red and fangs bared while Kate had reverted back to her more human features, hoping it would convince the wolf she didn't want to fight with him.

Stiles stood, clutching his wounded arm and took a tentative step forward. Kate's eyes locked onto him and she gave him a pleading look. He took another step forward and, with his good hand, reached out and placed a warm hand on the wolf's bicep. The touch had it's desired affect and Derek's features became more human, his claws remaining though. "She's not worth it." Stiles whispered, letting his fingers dig into the wolfs arm. Derek seemed to relax a little under his mate's touch, but he didn't release Kate, his claws digging in a little more. "Please, Derek, just let her go." he tried again.

"Our laws clearly state that if anyone, were or human, tries to deliberately hurt our mate, we have rights to revenge." Derek growled, his eyes fixed on the were in his grasp, a look of pure hatred in his eyes.

"I know, but that doesn't mean you need to rip her throat out. As much as I'd love for that to happen, I'd prefer she be turned over to the authorities. Please, Derek. For me?" Stiles tried, knowing the wolf would do what he asked. Derek's eyes snapped to his and then to the claw marks on his arms. Derek slowly let his claws retract, Kate breathing a sigh of relief. Derek didn't seem to like that very much because before Stiles could stop him, he'd reached over and snapped the were's arm.

Stiles had to cover his ears at her shriek of pain, ignoring the protest in his arm. As Kate crumbled to the floor, clutching her injured arm, Derek wrapped himself around his mate and lead him up the stairs. Stiles didn't object when the wolf lead him out of the house and to his car, knowing he was beyond ready to leave this hell hole behind. He knew Derek wouldn't let him back in that house. Not now.

So, he kept silent as they drove, watching as Derek had to concentrate harder than ever to keep his wolf under control. Stiles was going to apologize profusely about getting blood all over the sleek Camaro, but for the time being, he was just glad that Derek was there. Glad that they were together again. He just wasn't sure for how long this time.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Derek lead Stiles into the large bathroom and had him sit on the toilet while he dug through the cabinet for a bottle of peroxide and some bandages. Derek would say he was a little unnerved by how quiet Stiles was, but after what had just happened, he wasn't all that surprised. Kneeling next to his mate, he gently took his injured arm and used his free hand to absorb any pain the boy was feeling and kept doing it while he applied to peroxide.

Stiles watched with apt attention, his eyes fixed on the bubbling liquid. Derek could still hear his heart pounding in his chest. He wanted to calm his mate down, but he knew they were on thin ice now that the adrenaline had worn off. There was tension between them.

The silence was finally broken when Stiles opened his mouth, his emotional dam finally breaking. "Thank you." the boy practically sobbed, his shoulders shaking violently. "She would've killed me if you hadn't shown up. I can't help but thinking this is all just my imagination, that she really did kill me!" he broke down, his hands clinging to Derek as he cried into the wolf's chest.

Derek wrapped his arms around his mate and let out a pur-like growl that his mother had used to comfort him when he was a pup. It must've helped because Stiles' sobs started to turn into hiccups and he began to relax in his arms. Rubbing soothing circles into his mate's back, he pulled back a little to look at the boy's face when his heartbeat evened out. Not surprising that he'd pass out from exhaustion.

Making sure the bandages were securely in place and weren't too tight or too loose, Derek carefully lifted the human into his arms and carried him out of the bathroom and into his bedroom. Stiles made a content hum when he was laid in the bed, his fingers curling into Derek's pillow. The wolf wanted desperately to crawl in beside him, wrap himself around the other, and make sure his mate was truly safe, but he needed to talk with his mother about what had happened. Brushing his fingers over the other's cheek, he forced himself to leave the room.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Hmm. And were is your boy now, pup?" Talia asked her son, her expression unreadable as she studied her son across from her desk.

"Sleeping. He had a bit of a...breakdown before passing out." Derek answered, trying to read his mother and guess what was going through her mind. Like always, it was near impossible. He knew his mother would know what the best thing to do would be. His instincts were telling him to keep his mate hidden away in his den, but he knew his instincts were irrational.

"Well then, I'll get hold of Deucalion and Deaton in the morning and fill out the proper paperwork to have Ms. Argent's guardianship over Stiles' transferred over to myself." Talia said, smiling warmly at her son when he gave her a confused look. "You should go check on him. I don't think it would be wise for him to wake up alone in a strange place." she added, deciding not to answer her son's unspoken question.

Derek nodded, not needing to be told twice to go to his mate.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

When Stiles woke up, he was pleasantly warm. The only thing that was wrong was that he couldn't remember where he was and his arm was killing him. Groaning, he rolled over and immediately regretted it. The move had jostled his arm and now there was a searing white pain in his arm causing him to whimper in pain. Before the sound finished coming out of his mouth, the bed dipped slightly and there was a hand enveloping his own. Seconds later, the pain began to dissipate.

Stiles sighed in relief and relaxed back into the bed. The incredibly soft bed that was so much unlike his own. That thought caused his eyes to snap fully open and bolt upright in bed, his hand ripping out of the other and the searing pain returning. He cried out and gripped his arm to try and ease the pain. The bed dipped a little more and the hand returned to his, the pain finally lifting.

Following the black lines up said arm, he found himself face to face with Derek, the wolf's face contorted in worry. "I think it might be broken." Derek whispered, reaching for the sling he'd brought into the room with him. Stiles only nodded, not really knowing what to say. What was he supposed to say? Thanks for saving me from a deranged psychopath? Thanks for letting me cry on your shoulder?

"Thank you." he settled, his head down as he stared at his lap. "For everything."

Derek paused, searching the human's face before maneuvering so he could help put the sling on, making sure to keep contact. "You don't need to thank me for anything. It's my job to protect you." he said, immediately flinching at how that sounded. Like he was obligated to keep the human safe. "I didn't mean it like that. I-I meant-" he began, trying to fix his mistake, but Stiles stopped him.

Stiles reached up and cupped the wolf's cheek, forcing him to look him in the eye. "I know what you meant." he said, giving the older man a warm smile. The two remained silent while Derek secured the sling, the wolf profusely apologizing when he accidentally broke the physical contact. Once everything was in place, Derek cautiously removed his hand, regretting it immediately when Stiles grimaced in pain. When he tried to reestablish it, Stiles stopped him. "I need to get used to the pain for now."

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The next week passed in a blur of lawyers and court rooms for Stiles. He'd spoken with Mr. Martin, Talia's lawyer, at least a dozen times before Saturday rolled around. He hadn't thought Talia trying to get guardianship over him would be so difficult for the alpha, but much to Derek's dismay, Kate was only given a slap on the wrists for her treatment of the human and was fighting to get Stiles' _back_. She had her own army of lawyers and was putting up a bigger fight than anyone expected.

And to make matters worse, Kate was trying to sue Derek for assault and was, sadly, winning. Because Derek and Stiles weren't officially mated, Derek's ass wasn't covered by the law. Mr. Martin was putting up an impressive fight of his own, however. If they were lucky, Derek would only be given a $500,000 fine and a restraining order would be put in place 'for Kate's safety and well-being'.

As for Stiles, he was either talking to lawyers or Deucalion and Deaton about what had happened in the last ten year. He even had to have a psych evaluation to check if he hadn't been completely emotionally traumatized. Talia had insisted, saying it would do more good than bad, so Stiles didn't put up much of fight. Much to his chagrin, the psychologist had said that he would more than likely suffer from emotional, and possible physical PTSD. It hadn't happened yet and he was hoping they never would.

He did have nightmares though. Nightmares that had him jolting up in bed, covered in a cold sweat, and breathing like he'd ran a marathon. On nights when they were particularly vivid, he'd quietly make his way down the hallway and slip into Derek's room. The first night he'd done it, he'd actually startled the wolf. It only took one look at the human's face to know what was going on, though, and made room for Stiles to climb into bed with him.

Derek never asked him about his dreams. Only asked if Stiles wanted to talk about it. And every time, Stiles would shake his head no, knowing his hopes about PTSD were quickly diminishing, and would curl into the wolf's side, letting the close proximity and extra warmth sooth him back into a dreamless sleep.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

" _Mr. Stilinski, did Ms. Argent ever strike you?" Mr. Harris, Kate's lead lawyer, asked, his voice cold as he cross-examined the human. Stiles was fiddling with his tie nervously. He never did well in front of crowds and the court room was packed with weres and humans. Most of the weres were giving him cold glares while a good majority of the humans looked at him with pity._

" _Yes, sir." he said simply, taking Mr. Martin's advice on not saying more than necessary and not give the defense any ammunition._

" _And why did you never report this alleged abuse?"_

" _Objection! We have documented photographs of Mr. Stilinski's bruises and x-rays of his broken arm from the night he was taken from Ms. Argent's home. There is nothing alleged about the abuse Mr. Silinski suffered." Mr. Martin spoke up._

" _Sustained. Please rephrase your question, Mr. Harris." Judge Morrell ruled._

" _Mr. Stilinski, why did you never report the abuse to anyone?" Mr. Harris asked again, turning his icy glare back to Stiles._

" _I didn't think anyone would believe me. The physical abuse didn't start until I was thirteen. Besides, the were community isn't all that concerned with the overall well being of humans." Stiles answered, rolling his eyes when it caused an uproar in the courtroom. Stiles could only roll his eyes as Mr. Harris objected and the weres in the room acted offended._

So, this was Stiles' life now. Enemy number one of the were community. Or at least that's what Kate's entourage of lawyers wanted the public to believe. Luckily, Talia had that stomped out almost as soon as it arose and Stiles was grateful he had the alpha on his side.

And then there was Derek. The alpha-to-be kept Stiles sane while the proceedings went on, dragging him away when things started to get to be too much for the other. And the best part, or at least in Stiles' opinion, was that no one said anything when the wolf would stand and take Stiles arm to lead him out of the board rooms. Stiles asked once, why no one said anything, and Derek had only smiled and told him it was because they respected the facts that he was looking out for his mate's well-being.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Two months passed before the judge finally made her decision. When she ruled that Stiles' guardianship be transferred to Talia, Kate went off, yelling that Judge Morrell was nothing but a pawn to the Hale pack and that her ruling was unjust. Stiles hadn't been in the courtroom, but according to Peter, the werejaguar had tried to attack the druid, resulting in the were to be detained and awaiting her own trial of attempted murder. Stiles couldn't help the small smile that spread across his face at the thought of that bitch being locked away for a good ten to fifteen years.

He also couldn't stop thanking Talia. There were no words to express how truly grateful he was that he never had to go back there. And to top it all of, she left him speechless by telling him she'd do anything for her family. Stiles had stared at her, mouth hung open in shock, and she only smiled warmly at him. "Whether you and Derek are officially mate or not, you're already my son." she told him, placing a warm hand on his cheek before gently shooing him out of her office.

After that, Stiles wandered around searching for Derek. In the two months he'd been staying there, the two of them had become extremely close. Stiles liked to think it wasn't just because he was Derek's mate, but because they truly did enjoy each other's company. He liked even more that Derek listened to his ramblings without interrupting him, like he enjoyed listening to the human..

Stiles eventually found said wolf in the library. Derek looked up from his book and smiled at Stiles, closing his book with a snap. Stiles grinned back and walked over to the couch the wolf was lounging on. Plopping down next to him, he curled into the wolf's side and laid his head on the broad shoulders that were conveniently there. When Derek wrapped his arm around the younger boy's shoulders, the latter let out a deep sigh, letting himself finally relax for the first time in two months.

He felt a pair of soft lips press to the top of his head and could tell Derek was feeling the same.

They stayed like that for what felt like an eternity, but the silence was broken when Derek spoke, his voice only a whisper. "Scott stopped by about an hour ago. I told him you were with my mother though. He said he'd try again tomorrow after work."

Stiles only nodded. His best friend had been there for him when he needed him through the whole trial, but Stiles just wanted to be with Derek then. Their bond wasn't like Stiles and Scott's. They were friends, but there was so much more underneath it all, a tension he hadn't been able to place up until then. Pulling back a little, he searched the wolf's face for answers to questions he didn't even have yet. Before he could talk himself out of it, he leaned forward and brushed his lips against Derek's, afraid his heart might beat right out of his chest.

The wolf remained motionless, not wanting to scare the other, but his wolf was howling in triumph. In the two months Stiles had been staying with them, Derek hadn't dared to make any move towards a romantic relationship with Stiles, not while he was going through one of the roughest patches in his life, letting Stiles guide and mold their relationship to his needs. But now, the tension seemed to dissipate between them.

When Stiles pulled back and saw the relief in Derek's eyes, he didn't need to be told twice that he was making the right decisions. One simple act was going to change their entire relationship, but the look in Derek's eyes told him it would all be worth it. Without giving it a second thought, he leaned forward again, this time with more confidence than he thought he could muster, and kissed the wolf with all he had, trying to say what he was feeling through the gesture.

Derek couldn't help the growl that vibrated through him when Stiles wrapped his arms around his shoulders, pulling them closer together. Without thinking, Derek wrapped his arms around the human's waist and pulled him impossibly close, letting himself revel in the kiss.

When Stiles pulled away, he kept his eyes closed and pressed his forehead against Derek's, a small smile gracing his lips. He let out a breathless laugh and played with the hair at the nape of the wolf's neck, a feeling of contentment washing over him as said wolf nuzzled his face in the human's neck.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

 **One Year Later**

Stiles groaned when someone lightly shook his shoulder. Rolling over, he made a displeased sound in the back of his throat and pulled a pillow over his head, trying to go back to sleep. He definitely was not ready to become part of the conscious world just yet. He heard a soft chuckle behind him and the bed jostle a little before a pair of arms wrapped around his waist, pulling his back so he was flush against his mate's chest.

"Time to get up." Derek murmured against the human's neck, chuckling at the shiver that ran down the other's spine. Stiles made more sounds of protest and snuggled further into the warmth the wolf was throwing off. Derek grinned at his mate and let his hands wander, his fingers lightly grazing the already fading bruises on Stiles hip from the night before. Derek knew it wasn't entirely his fault, the full moon played a big part, but he still felt bad that he'd inflicted pain on his mate.

And Stiles said the same thing after every full moon. _'It's part of who you are, Der. I've accepted that and you need to learn to. Anyway, it's not all that bad.'_ he'd say with a grin and a waggle of his eyebrows and pull Derek into a passionate kiss that cut off any protest the wolf was going to make. That didn't stop Derek from trying to make it up to Stiles the next morning, after the moon's effects wore off and his wolf was sated for another month.

But today was different. They'd agreed to have breakfast with Boyd, Erica, Cora, and Isaac before they made the big announcement.

"If we're not there in the next hour, Erica's going to barge in here and drag us out of bed." Derek warned and Stiles whined loudly before huffing in annoyance because he knew Derek was right.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Erica waved wildly at the pair as they walked into the small dinner on the edge of town. Stiles groaned and Derek chuckled before leading them both to their regular booths. Erica had a bad habit of teasing Stiles the day after the full moon. Boyd smiled at both of them as they took their seats on the other side of the booth. "Nervous about this afternoon?" he asked, taking a drink of his coffee.

"Yes." "Not at all" they both answered and Erica tried to hide her smile behind her own cup of coffee.

"Come on, Stiles. It's not that bad." the blonde said, giving the human a warm smile. It was something the group had talked about multiple times in the last couple of weeks.

"And if the Hale pack looses everything because their future alpha is mated to a human?" Stiles asked and Boyd rolled his eyes while Derek placed a comforting hand on the human's thigh.

"The Hale pack is stronger than ever. Derek being mated to you isn't going to change anything. You're overthinking the whole thing." the dark skinned wolf insisted and Stiles grumbled, the waitress delivering their coffee interrupting anything he planned on saying.

"Where's Cora and Isaac?" Derek asked, changing subjects.

"Where do you think? The same place you two'd be if we weren't having breakfast." Erica laughed, the other two joining in when Derek made a disgusted face. Derek hated to admit it, but he was happy for his sister. And he definitely didn't like thinking, or talking, about her sex life.

It wasn't until they were halfway through their meals that the two in question decided to finally show up, Isaac blushing profusely at Erica's knowing grin.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Stiles couldn't help but fiddle with his tie out of nervousness. There was no way this was going to end well. He wasn't sure he'd be able to live with himself if he caused the fall of his mate's pack. Sensing the human's distress, he walked up behind him and pulled the other against his chest before brushing his lips over the mating bite he'd left on Stiles' shoulder during their first full moon together. "Calm down. Things are going to be fine. I can guarantee my mother will keep things from getting out of control." he tried to sooth Stiles' nerves.

Stiles sighed and nodded, letting himself relax against the wolf's chest, waiting for their signal to come out on stage.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. It is a joyous day when a mother, and an alpha, can announce that her son, and her replacement, has found his mate. I am pleased to announce that my son, Derek, has found his mate and life partner. And without further ado, I now present to you the future alpha of the Hale pack, Derek Hale, and his mate, Stiles Stilinski." Talia addressed the press, confidence radiating off the wolf.

Derek gave Stiles' hand a quick, reassuring squeeze before lightly pulling him towards the stage where his mother and uncle were waiting for them. When the two of them walked onto the stage, there was complete silence. They could've heard a pin drop. And then suddenly, there were cheers from the press. Stiles couldn't believe it. They were accepting it.

Maybe things weren't going to be as bad as Stiles had originally thought. And maybe, this could be a _real_ step at human and were equality.

 **A/N: Sorry the ending's so cheesy. I couldn't think of another way to end it.**


End file.
